London College of Fashion students collaborate with NOWNESS on series of fashion films

In groups, they produced 8 fashion films each, accompanied by a 360° release campaign that celebrated a brand of their choice and aligned with the NOWNESS creative cues: emotional, sensorial and visual storytelling.

After weeks of research, conceptualising their ideas and pitching them in person to NOWNESS’ creative and commissioning team at their Dazed Studios at 180 Strand, NOWNESS chose the multi-disciplinary film ‘The Ultimate Samsara’, directed by Chenshuo Xu and Soso Gao (creative director) and Ziyi Wang (art director), as the winning film. The film premiered on NOWNESS Global, Asia and China on Monday, 1 August 2022.

“I learned so much from director Curry Tian’s ‘Simulacra’ about presenting the many possibilities of video media with new technical means and novel storytelling,” Chenshuo tells us.

‘The Ultimate Samsara’ takes inspiration from the concept of order and chaos embedded in fashion brand Sankuanz and is based on the Chinese folklore ‘The Classic of Mountains and Seas’. The film explores representations of masculinity in modern Asian society by incorporating traditional Chinese and modern architecture, as well as Chinese sacrificial Nuo dance and symbolic masks, all situated in a futuristic digital landscape.

“My aim is to present Chinese culture in an innovative and culturally responsible manner and to investigate human identity in the metaverse via digital reincarnation," Chenshuo tells us.

“The square shape of the traditional Beijing courtyard house in the film symbolises the cycle of life and death and represents the order of mankind. High-rise buildings are symbols of the Chinese social system, representing human chaos. The combination of 3D architecture and digital technology marks the reshaping of order and social relations in data.”

Reflecting on the collaboration, Marley Hansen, senior editor at NOWNESS, tells us: “We chose ‘The Ultimate Samsara’ as the winning film because we were impressed by how the joining of fashion, mythology and digital art was executed at an incredibly high standard. The thought process behind each decision was considered and beneficial to the piece.”

“The technical skills were very impressive and we can't wait to see what Chenshuo, Soso and Ziyi do next.”

A second film also received an honourable mention: ‘Traces of Love’, directed by Zoe Cheung and edited by Lauren Bilodeau, follows a British Asian character dealing with internal struggles regarding her queer relationship and external struggles against cultural expectations.

The story is told through the lens of a surreal dance sequence against the backdrop of London, incorporating both the narrative of the film and the clothing that’s intentionally weaved into the choreography.

Besides tackling the challenges of shooting on 16mm and working within the limitations of a small budget and crew, Lauren and Zoe tell us:

“Having the opportunity to pitch our film in NOWNESS' Dazed offices was a really valuable way for us to gain insight into how their development process works and what they value in filmmakers.”

“It was also incredibly helpful to have NOWNESS’ feedback throughout post-production.”

When coordinating their shoots and hiring their crew, Lauren and Zoe decided to bring on LCF alum Laura Aguilera Martin after being impressed with her grad film ‘Nostos Erda’, also shot on 16mm.

Besides having their film featured on NOWNESS’ Global, Asia and China, the three filmmakers behind ‘The Ultimate Samsara’ will receive mentorship from the NOWNESS team for their Master’s Projects.

“Members of the Nowness team have guest lectured at LCF over the years and it was great to formalise our relationship with something more meaningful,” Marley tells us.

“Helping to shape the next generation of fashion filmmakers is an exciting task for NOWNESS and we look forward to seeing how we can collaborate in the future.”

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